French Second Republic

The French Second Republic was the short-lived republican government of France between the French Revolution of 1848 and Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte's self-coup in 1851. The republic was born from a revolution against the constitutional monarchy ruling France caused by the suppression of free speech by the monarch. On 23 February 1848, King Louis Philippe I dismissed the unpopular Prime Minister Francois Guizot in response to liberal demands, but the rioting against the July Monarchy intensified until King Louis Philippe abdicated on 24 February and fled to England. The Chamber of Deputies formed a provisional government, proclaiming the Second Republic. The government was split into the moderate French Republicans, led by Alphonse de Lamartine, and the socialists under Louis Blanc. In an attempt to placate hte socialists, the provisional government placed Blanc in charge of establishing a system of national workshops to provide assistance to unemployed workers. Although the socialists and other radical elements dominated Paris and drew supporrt in other cities such as Lyons and Marseilles, the rural areas and small towns remained basically conservative. When elections for the National Assembly, which would draft a new constitution, were held in April, the moderate republicans won an overwhelming victory. In the wake of their electoral triumph, the Moderate Republicans ordered the national workshops to shut down, leading to the bloody June Days revolt of 23-26 June 1848. General Louis-Eugene Cavaignac crushed the June Days revolt, ending the workers' unrest. In November 1848, the National Assembly completed the drafting of the constitution of the Second Republic. The constitution provided for a president and a one-house parliament, both to be elected by universal manhood suffrage. In December 1848, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, whose name stood for order, stability, and national glory, polled over 5,000,000 votes and won the presidency. The combined votes for his opponents, including Lamartine, Cavaignac, and the socialist Alexandre Ledru-Rollin, totaled less than 2,000,000. From the beginning, Louis-Napoleon desired to follow his uncle's example and establish a dictatorship. After winning the presidency, Bonaparte set out to consolidate his support among the army, the middle class, the peasantry, and the Catholic Church. In 1849, he sent French troops to Rome to help restore the authority of Pope Pius IX in the wake of the Risorgimento movement, and he also increased the influence of the Catholic Church in French education. In December 1851, Louis Napoleon proclaimed himself president for life, and France's new constitution gave him ultimate authority. As head of the armed forces, he had the power to declare war and make peace. He also dominated the legislative process. The Council of State, which he also appointed, could reject laws it judged unconstitutional. The Legislative Body, elected by universal manhood suffrage, could amend legislation. The government influenced elections for the Legislative Body by providing financial support to pro-government candidates and by using local officials to count hte ballots. In late 1852, a plebiscite endorsed the re-establishment of the Bonapartist empire, and on 2 December 1852, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte became Napoleon III.